A Brilliant Twist
by KageVincent
Summary: We have been here The tale of Harry Potter has become somewhat of a legend amongst His trials and adventures have been embedded into our memories We are the Potter Generation! Now I ask you to join me on another One involving one special you lad whom, in this telling, attends Hogwarts along with our Join me on this


WELCOME! To my long term, almost life long fanfiction project. This is a story that's been brewing in my mind for quite a long time now. It won't be perfect. I'm an amateur writer at best. BUT I have so many twists on the plot I want to take that shit is just going to get CRAZY! Well... not too crazy. All the canon pairings stay the same aside from who my OC ends up with. The biggest twist I can tell you is that while the original HP storyline follows Harry around throughout mine will be following Jack with more intricate explanations pertaining to everyone around him. Sometimes you will see me delve into the minds of the other characters because thats how I want the story to progress. Other than that it will mostly follow Jack.

Wow this is a long explanation!

Chapter One

Enter the clinically insane!

Jack enjoyed his scarce bouts of freedom from the tiring, albeit invigorating, training his grandfather put him through.

Nearly 8 years of mixed martial arts training had Jack looking the epitome of physical and mental health. Standing at an average five feet and three inches with toned muscles, Jack could honestly say that he could take on men twice his size and come out the victor. However, his grandfather always spoke against foolish squabbles.

"I do not teach arrogance or brutality..." he would preach as he mercilessly beat Jack into the ground during any given sparring match between the two. Jack grimaced as one particularly harsh spar came to his mind, one which ended with quite a few bruised ribs and several dislocated joints.

Indeed Jack grew up very humble under his grandfather's tutelage. Hours of meditation taught Jack to master most portions of his mind and soul. Though, unfortunately, one subconscious sector of his mind always remained adamantly defiant.

Jack is a certified schizophrenic, which means he has an alter ego that tends to wreak havoc any time it can.

_"I like to call it recreational play"_

Jack scowled. Vincent, as his other self liked to be called, tended to speak to Jack a lot nowadays. This was something Jack and his Grandfather were openly against.

_"Listen, Jack,"_ began Vincent. _"Like it or not I am a permanent part of who you are. I'm the side of you that holds your real feelings..."_ Jack continued his stroll through the city blocks, dodging people on their daily errand runs and such, and trying to enjoy his leisure time without having to listen to the mindless jargon coming from his unwanted mental roommate.

"_Be honest with yourself. You aren't satisfied with not knowing. You aren't satisfied with just living. How many nights have you lain awake pondering who it could be? Which Wizard? Or perhaps even which muggle, these nonmagical humans, had the gall to commit the act...?"_

At this point Jack had started heading back home; trying harder than ever to block out the voice in his head. Yet, no matter how many times he tried, he couldn't ignore the questions that he desperately wanted the answers to.

"_Exactly! Why pretend like you don't care? You need to know..."_

**"I don't think I do..." **He retorted mentally.

"_Oh please. You mean to tell me that loose rag that came off the robe of our parents' murder... The one you keep safe under the floorboard of our bedroom; it has no significance?"_

Jack didn't answer but his silence only proved Vincent's point.

Jack's remaining stroll went on in silence. Out of the muggle community and back to his village, Godric's Hollow. Many enchantments and secret charms prevented muggles from wandering into the small village unannounced. Surrounding hills made it nearly impossible for one to sneak into the village.

Jack strolled through the village square, past the Potter Memorial erected to honor the lives taken by Lord Voldemort ten years ago, and on to the cottage he shared with his grandfather. His grandfather inherited his home from his parents nearly half a century ago. Two stories high, its old visage showed peeled off amber paint and a few indistinct holes. Despite the house's lackluster front, the garden behind it was lush with various plants. Along the edges berry vines intertwined upon the wooden fenced perimeter and at the back left corner a melon patch showed growing buds. In the very center of the garden was a sparring area used for Jack's daily training.

Jack entered through the front door. He noticed the kitchen lights on, which signified that his grandfather was enjoying his usual afternoon tea. Locking the door behind him, he made his way into the kitchen. "I hope you made enough to share with the class old man!" Jack taunted, grinning as he entered the kitchen to indeed find his grandfather sipping tea at the table. The kitchen was rather roomy. It was equipped with only the bare necessities and a window directly across from the entryway gave a modest view of the backyard.

"Shut it, Midget. You've got a letter here." His grandfather's voice was aged and rough; owing, no doubt, to his considerable age. Marcus Atlus was broad shouldered, tall, and rather muscular for a man his age. His thick beard and shoulder length locks shone a dull grey. Jack always mused that his grandfather was magically enhanced.

"A letter?" He had never received a letter before, though he had a very good idea from where it was from. Jack was born to a muggle mother and a squib father. Squibs, being of magical descent but having no magic themselves, were unlikely to produce magical children. So just as his grandfather, his father, and his uncle had been squibs before him, it was expected to stay the course. So imagine the surprise from Elder Atlus when as a toddler Jack began to float throughout the house seemingly on a whim.

"Aye," Elder Atlus grunted. He got up and made his way to the stove to prepare the tea. "It's your Hogwarts letter. It has the official stamp on it. I haven't touched it since I received it from the owl." Jack glimpsed the somewhat fat letter in the middle of the table. Embroidered on the top left corner, above the return address, was what Jack assumed to be the school crest. A shield decorated with 4 separate animals on different color motifs: A lion with a red background; A serpent with a green background; An eagle with a blue background; and a badger with a yellow background. Each animal, as was explained to him by Elder Atlus, represented the four houses of Hogwarts.

At the center of the letter in clear cursive was written: Mr. J. Atlus- 14 Elven Cross- Godric's Hollow.

Jack turned the letter over, broke the seal, removed the pages within, and read the first of 3 pages inside.

**HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY**

Headmaster: ALBUS DUMBLEDORE (Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. Of Wizards.).

"Mr. Dumbledore sure loves to brag." Jack said, chuckling to himself.

Dear Mr. Atlus,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins on the First of September. We await your owl no later than July 31st.

Yours Sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress.

Behind the first page were two pages full of items necessary for his school career. It was alarmingly long. Elder Atlus looked at the list over Jack's shoulder. "Well," he began, walking to his seat and setting down two cups of tea. "No one said formal education was cheap." And he sipped his tea leisurely.

Two months later, Jack and Elder Atlus are entering the Leaky Cauldron to gain access to Diagon Alley. Dressed in simple muggle clothes to keep from drawing attention to themselves in the London underground, they still caught a few eyes as they entered. The pub seemed to be in a buzz over something. Patrons all throughout were hunched close together talking in hushed, excited voices. The two made their way to the counter where a wizened old man was polishing glasses. "Morning Tom. Haven't two butterbeers for us back there, would you?" Asked Elder Atlus, reaching over to shake Tom's hand.

"Ah, Marcus! How are you? And young Jack, what brings you here?" He disappeared briefly under the counter and pulled up two bottles of drink, the glass he was polishing lay forgotten. Jack grinned upon receiving his bottle. "We're shopping for my Hogwarts things." Jack exclaimed, taking a swig of his butterbeer. Tom raised an eyebrow. "Really now? A little later than most, eh Marcus?" Elder Atlus waved off the question. "You know I much prefer to avoid the frantic shoppers Tom." Tom merely chuckled. Elder Atlus surveyed the crowd within the pub all talking animatedly to one another. "What's got everyone all flustered?" He also took a swig. Tom cracked a grin. "We had a celebrity appearance here a lil while ago. Young Harry Potter came in with Rubeus back in July. Came to do his shopping as well." Elder Atlus' brow furrowed. "All this excitement? You would think he was just here. I do hope the poor lad wasn't bombarded." Shaking his head, Tom continued to polish his glasses. "You know how folks get. Besides, Harry Potter was the one who defeated You-Know-Who." Elder Atlus grunted but provided no response.

"Shouldn't we get going gramps?" Jack asked, having finished his drink already.

Nodding, Elder Atlus downed his butter beer and rose from his seat. "Right you are, Midget. Mind getting us into Diagon Alley, Tom?"

"No problem. None at all." He grabbed his wand and led them towards the back exit. "You're in for some interesting fun at Hogwarts, Jack. Especially with who's starting this year." Jack shrugged, already understanding who Tom was talking about. "Gramps says things like fame aren't important. It's the underlying person that the public does not see that's important. Right, old man?"

"Right you are, Midget." Elder Atlus said before striking Jack across the head. "Tch! Was that necessary?" Jack asked, rubbing his now throbbing head.

"I'm not old."

Tom shook his head at the exchange. "Here we are, Marcus." He exclaimed. They were in front of a massive brick wall which hid what lied behind it completely. Tom tapped a seemingly random brick then stood back as the entirety of the wall shifted to create an archway into Diagon Alley. "Safe travels to you both." Tom waved and headed back to polish his glasses. Jack and Elder Atlus stepped onto the cobbled streets and walked into the large shopping district.

"So where should we head first gramps?" Jack asked while eyeing Florean Fortesque's ice cream parlor. "Well first," He pulled out a tattered pouch from under his shirt and opened it. "We get this cart out because I'm for damn sure not going to carry all of your school things home!" He then stuck his whole arm to the shoulder into the bag and extracted a medium sized cart with some difficulty. "We put all your crap into this and then we arrange it all neatly before putting it all into my charmed pouch." With that Elder Atlus started towards Madam Malkin's robes. "You push the cart, Midget." He called back.

Jack scowled but followed with the cart.

The cart steadily grew heavier as it was filled with various items and equipment. It became gradually more difficult to push on the cobble stone road. After leaving the Apothecary, they made their way to the stop Jack was the most excited about. He couldn't hold back his grin as they approached the front of the shop. It was a tiny looking shack of a shop. Various wands were in display in the windows with big signs describing them. "Ollivander's..." Jack exclaimed as they reached the door. Elder Atlus stopped suddenly before they reached the entrance. "Go ahead in alone Jack. This is a rather important moment for you. I'll wait by the ice cream parlor next door." And before Jack could say a word he grabbed the cart and walked away to sit in front of the Florean Fortesque's.

Puzzled, yet too excited to care, Jack entered Ollivander's. The bell by the door jingled as he went inside. It was a dimly lit sort of place. Behind the nicely polished counter top was what reminded Jack of the aisles one would find in a library. Except instead of books the shelves were filled with rectangular boxes he could only guess were encasing wands.

He walked to the counter and peered behind it. It looked as if no one was here. He wandered to a display to his left with a long white wand propped up on it. There was a little card in front of the wand:

OAK. 9 1/4"- Thestral Heartstring. Firm.

_"Shall we test it?"_ Jack frowned at Vincent's suggestion. It wasn't his—he should wait for the owner of the shop to come back first—but...

His excitement got the better of him. He gently lifted up the wand with his right hand—his dominant hand. Just then a curious sensation ran through him. From his arm to his very core it felt as if the thread had wound its way from the point he held on the wand, up his arm and connected somewhere within him. "Well you've certainly taken the fun out of this for me Mr. Atlus." Jack jumped and quickly went to replace the wand back on the prop. A very aged looking man, slightly hunched over with white hair tumbling unkempt around his face, walked up next to Jack and the Oakwood wand from behind the counter. "I figured you would be coming to see me soon, Mr. Atlus." He had a sort of scratchy voice. Jack remarked that his eyes seemed to be boring into him—into his mind. "I never would have guessed that you would be destined to hold this particular wand however." He gestured to the wand without taking his eyes off Jack. Jack took a measured step back before responding. "I didn't mean to go snooping without your supervision, sir. I was just a bit excited about getting my wand." Ollivander merely shook his head. "No no. Nothing to be ashamed of. This can be considered the most important time for any wizard. Now if you would please grab the wand again and bring it to the counter." Ollivander walked back behind the counter.

"Am I to receive this wand?" Jack asked, gingerly picking up the oak wand as if it were fragile glass. "Oh yes!" exclaimed Ollivander. "It has already chosen you Mr. Atlus."

Though puzzled about those words, Jack resigned to ask a different question. "What's so special about this particular wand, Mr. Ollivander?" Ollivander's eyes lit up at this inquiry. "Well, Mr. Atlus," He spoke with the air of telling a magnificent story. "This wand is one of a kind in the case of its core. Thestral heartstring is not a commonly used magical medium. It is said to be too dark. Destined to turn its wielder into a Dark wizard." Jack was quite alarmed at this proclamation. He did not much like the idea of becoming a dark wizard. Before he could voice his feelings however...

"A load of nonsense if you ask me. The wizard chooses his path. The wand does not think for itself; at least not in the magic it performs." There was a twinkle in Ollivander's eye as he finished boxing and wrapping the wand. Jack couldn't help feeling reassured.

He walked out of the shop after paying for the wand and turned to find his grandfather indeed sitting at the ice cream parlor. However, there was a witch and a boy looking to be around his age sitting with Elder Atlus. The boy had a round face and dark hair. In his hands he clutched a somewhat struggling toad. The witch looked to be around his grandfather's age. Her attire was odd, even by wizard standards. It wasn't so much her cloak or deep red hand bag but her hat. It was crowned with a large stuffed vulture. His grandfather caught his eye.

"Ah, here he comes now. Jack, meet Augusta Longbottom and her grandson Neville." Jack smiled and shook both of their hands. "Nice to meet you."

Neville was still awkwardly trying to keep his toad under control. Ms. Longbottom smiled in return. "Yes, Marcus was just telling me that you're starting at Hogwarts this year. I believe that is quite the lucky break considering." Jack nodded in agreement. "Yeah two generations of squibs usually only promises a line of no magic. My cousin Dominik is completely jealous." He replied, grinning. Elder Atlus pointed to his wand box. "So, what type of wand is it? Elm? Cherry? Dragon heartstring I suspect."

Grinning possibly harder than before, Jack pulled the wand from its casing. "None of those! Its Oak and Thestral heartstring." Both Ms. Longbottom and Elder Atlus raised eyebrows to this. "Thestral heartstring? That is quite the... unusual core, Jack." She exclaimed skeptically. "Mr. Ollivander told me it's the only wand of its kind." Jack said, handing the wand to his grandfather. "You said it's made of oak wood?" Elder Atlus asked, examining the wand closely. "Yeah! Mr. Ollivander also said that people immediately think that this wand was made for dark magic." Neville, who had been only listening intently suddenly looked alarmed. "Don't worry, Neville." Jack begun, having noticed his discomfort. "Mr. Ollivander also said that even though the wand chooses the wizard it doesn't choose the magic performed." Neville nodded in understanding. "Besides," Jack added with a hint of mischief in his voice. "Do I look like a Dark Wizard to you?" Neville smiled up at him. "Not at all!"

Jack grinned back. "Thank you!" They both laughed. _"Wait until he meets me..."_

Jack stopped laughing abruptly. Luckily Neville was still laughing and his grandfather was still examining the wand while Ms. Longbottom was digging into her bag for something.

"Neville, we should give Trevor some of his tonic." Jack could only guess Trevor was Neville's toad. She pulled out a vial of purple liquid. "Okay." "There something wrong with your pet Neville?" Jack asked. But Neville seemed too distracted. He was now frantically searching around his seat and in all of his pockets. "Not again!" He exclaimed. "Gran I've lost Trevor!" Augusta gave a deep, exasperated sigh. "Of course you have Neville."

"I take it this happens often." Marcus deduced. She gave him a peculiar look. "Jack, dear, could you help Neville please? I am quite tired of searching for that toad." She looked quite tired of it indeed. Jack nodded his consent. "Come on Neville! He couldn't have gotten far." Jack said, laying a friendly arm around Neville's shoulder. Neville did look crestfallen at losing his toad. "He's always doing this. I take my eyes off him for a second and he makes a leap for freedom." Neville said sadly. "Well, have you had him long?"

Neville shook his head. "Gran just got him for me when we went shopping for my Hogwarts supplies." Jack didn't very much like the idea of owning a toad of all things. An owl would be more practical. "I shouldn't be surprised though. The clerk at the pet shop says she used to find Trevor hiding in different places all over the shop." He laughed lightly. They had walked down to Madame Malkin's in their search. Trevor wasn't under any table nor down any side streets they had passed so far. Neville's mood seemed to decline the longer they searched. "He probably doesn't like me very much." He kept saying.

_"Confidence issues?"_ Vincent said incredulously. **"Looks like it..."** Jack replied. He didn't bring it up to Neville however. If this was an ongoing problem for him Jack was sure he could help him feel better.

Just then a loud croaking reached their ears from somewhere above them. "Trevor!" Neville proclaimed and pointed to the scaffolding above a pastry shop. Trevor was poised on the edge of the awning looking very intimidated by the height. "Neville," Jack said in a blank voice. "There is something odd about your toad dude." Neville groaned and ran a hand through his hair. "I have to get gran over. She can just magic him down." Jack shook his head. "Don't bother, man. I can get him." He flashed a smile at Neville and walked up to the awning. Then to Neville's amazement he ran straight at the store wall, jumped and kicked off of it before twisting mid-air and latching one hand on the edge of the awning. With his other hand he reached up and grabbed the startled toad before he could hop away. He released the awning and landed gracefully on the ground. Neville was staring at Jack with wide eyes, mouth agape, obviously at a loss for words. "Did someone order a toad?" Jack said, handing Trevor to bewildered Neville. Neville finally found his voice. "How- Where- Wow!" He finished with a sigh. Jack scratched the back of his head, embarrassed. "Yeah it kind of comes with having Marcus Atlus for a grandfather."

Clearly that wasn't enough of an explanation for Neville because he bombarded Jack with questions about his abilities the entire way back to the ice cream parlor. "So, it's like this special fighting style made to fight against wizards?"

"Pretty much." Jack shrugged. "My grandfather developed it during the last dark age when Voldemort was in power." Neville violently shuddered at the name. "How could you say his name in such a casual way?" He asked in an oddly squeaky voice. "Because," Jack adopted a stern visage and in a splendid imitation of his grandfather he said, "Fear of a name breeds fear of the thing itself." Then, chuckling he added. "Or something like that." Neville just stared at him incredulously and shook his head. "You're weird."

Jack smiled harder at this. "Yeah, Neville. I guess I am."

_"He doesn't know even the half of it"_

Jack ignored Vincent and instead turned to Neville. "What exactly does Trevor need that tonic for?" Neville looked down at his toad in his hands with a look of dawning realization. Then in a mystified voice he said, "ADHD..."

Aaaaaaaaaaaaand there you have it. Chapter one of "A Brilliant Twist"

I'm honestly so excited about this story that I just want to be able to skip to different books in the HP series. I can't WAIT until I get to Order Of the Pheonix. I have things planned for that bitch Umbridge man! YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW!

But umm I would like to formally request that you guys tell me how you like the story so far. What do you think of Jack and Marcus? How about Jack's Schizophrenia? Am I even doing that condition correctly? Who knows.

Umm you won't be seeing much of Vincent in this book. Yes I said this book. I'm doing the entire HP series. Start to finish. Its gonna take YEARS OMG!

But umm please drop me a review if you would be so kind. Kay? Good day to you all :)


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